Salas-Oritz and Perez-Hernandez, were life-flighted to Stormont-Vail Regional Health Center in Topeka, said KHP technical trooper Ben Gardner. Ambulances transported Lozoya, Perez and Perez-Olivarez to the Geary Community Hospital in Junction City, and Perez-Ortiz and Salas-Ortiz were taken to the Mercy Regional Health Center in Manhattan.

Juan Perez, the driver of the van, was wearing a seat belt. None of the passengers had seat belts on, according to the crash log.

The driver of the truck, Davis, wasn’t wearing a seat belt, the crash log stated.

Several emergency responders assisted with the wreck, Burgess said, listing the Manhattan, Fort Riley and Riley County ambulance services.

“We were kind of stretched thin,” he said. “We dodged the storms, and then we get this.”

Less than an hour after the fatality wreck, another one-vehicle accident happened at 8:05 a.m. on US-77 south of I-70.

Jacino Godoy, 31, of Wichita, was driving a 2004 Chevrolet Astro van northbound on US-77 when he left the east side of the roadway and overcorrected. The vehicle crossed all lanes of US-77 and entered the west ditch, causing the van to overturn, according to the online crash log.

There were three passengers: Sam Martinez, 24; Jairo Perez-Gavarrete, 25; and Rogel Guel, 40. All three are from Wichita.

Perez-Gavarrete was transported to Geary Community Hospital in Junction City. Guel was taken to Geary Community from the scene but was then life-flighted to Stormont-Vail.

No one was wearing a seat belt, the crash log stated.

No condition updates were available Monday night for the wreck victims.

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My heart goes out to the families that lost a loved one today,and to the injured as well as the courageous men and woman that helped the victims of these horrific accidents. I will pray for you all. God grant the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference, also may the Lord comfort the pain so many are feeling right now, in Jesus name Amen.

It must be too politically incorrect for people to ask if the people in these two wrecks are connected, and what exactly was the nature of their trip and its destination.

Jumping way out there to conclusions ... looks like illegal workers being exploited, to their detriment and ours.

We must be a nation of laws. Everyone must be required to follow the law, and everyone must have equal protection of the law. Our handling of illegal workers doesn't fit either of those requirements, and it is a shame.

At sometime in the past all of our us came to the U.S. because they wanted to come to our nation. One again you didnot learn for history and do the came as those who come before our familties did to our families.

Your logic is not very sound. Perhaps you recall the expulsion of primarily Mexican workers
following WW2. The had been other expulsions prior to that under different Presidents prior to that. Illegals are exactly that. Which I might add is totally contrary to what my buddy jug ears and his Mary Men over at Homeland Security claim!

Why is it that people like "U" ALWAYS assume that when u hear bout a mexican they are ILLEGAL??? get ur head out of ur ********** cause NOT every mexican u read about is illegal....

People like u make me sick... Why dont u go live in AZ where u can BE SURE that every mexican in that state is illegal.... Go join that so-called sherriff n be sure to patrol that damn fence that is worthless... U can repair it all u want but they will still get through... Its not mexico u should worry bout the terrorist getting through its CANADA....

Since most Kansans jump to the conclusions that all Mexicans are illegals, I'd like to suggest to the editors at CJOnline that they follow every story that has a Mexican name in it with a link to why they may not be illegal.